The Padres have traded shortstop Khalil Greene to the Cardinals for pitcher Mark Worrell and a player to be named. As 25-year-old relief prospects go, Worrell's a pretty good one: he thoroughly dominated the PCL last year. He doesn't throw terribly hard, but he gets batters out with a good slider and a deceptive delivery. Kudos to the blog Future Redbirds for this post, written way back in January:
For someone who is essentially on the cusp of making the big league team, Mark Worrell has had something of an under the radar career. We’ve seen the Padres snatch up under-appreciated relievers like this in recent years (Cla Meredith, Joe Thatcher) and while Petco helps anyone who sets foot on the mound, it’s possible that baseball systematically undervalues deceptive deliverers.
Nailed it!
Anyway, both Worrell and Greene are winners here: Worrell could immediately become a productive part of the Padres' bullpen, and as a flyball pitcher, he's extremely well suited to PETCO Park.
Greene, meanwhile, had a terrible time in PETCO throughout his career--he has a .658 career OPS at home and an .802 OPS on the road. His best asset is his power, but he broke his hand this year, and hand injuries can affect power. If he comes back at full strength, and if the player who hasn't yet been named isn't a great one, this could be a good deal for both teams.